Fence-wire tightener



(No Model.)

M. BERDAN.

FENCE WIRE TIGHTBNER.

No. 558,096. Patented Jan. 14, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARVIN BERDAN, OF PLYMOUTH, MICHIGAN.

FENCE-WIRE TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,096, dated January 14, 1896.

Application filed August 12, 1895. Serial No. 558,978. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARVIN BERDAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plymouth, county of lVayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fenceire Tighteners; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

My invention relates to fence-wire tighteners, and its object is to provide a cheap and simple device for automatically taking up the slack of the several wires of the fence.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a side elevation of a section of fence, showing the end posts and a couple of intermediate posts, with my device for taking up the slack.

In the drawing, A is one end post of a section offence. a a are tighteners, one for each wire, by means of which the wires when originally strung are put under proper tension. B B represent two posts which I prefer to set about four feet apart and about midway of the section of fence.

I) b are the line-wires of the fence, each wire running loose through staples on the several posts of the section.

a c are the vertical stay-wires.

D is a piece of scantling, preferably atwoby-four, which is attached to each wire with a staple.

E is a lever pivoted to one of the posts 13 at b and to the vertical piece D at d.

F is a weight suspended from the lever and preferably swinging in a pit G.

The function of the lever and weight is to put a strong downward pressure on the piece D, which I accomplish by the leverage shown. As the idea of means involved is the use of a weight of sufiicient power to draw all the wires down with force enough to give the proper tension to each, any means for weighting the piece D will to a degree, accomplish the purpose, though the form shown I find preferable.

Several holes may be bored in the piece D, so that the lever may be raised when its weighted end comes too low.

lhe advantage of my invention consists in its simplicity and cheapness and the fact that it can be put up from the materials obtainable by the farmer, the only thing necessary to buy being the two bolts on which the lever is pivoted and fulcrumed. A stone will serve the purpose of a weight and need not be hung in a pit unless preferred that way.

I am aware that weights have been employed to draw on the free ends of the line-wires of a fence, but my improvement consists in a simplified form of this class of tighteners,in which the line-wires are fixed at each end or connect-- ed with ordinary tighteners and the weight applied at some distance from the ends, preferably at the middle of the line of fence. In my form of construction it is only necessary to set an additional post near some one of the line-posts and suspend the weight directly from the wires in such a way that it will draw equally from each direction. My form of construction is thus made simpler and more efficient.

hat I claim is The combination of the line wires and posts of the fence with two intermediate posts carrying all the wires, a vertical strip midway between the two posts stapled to all the wires, and a weighted lever pivoted to one post and to said vertical strip, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

MARVIN BERDAN. lVitnesses O. H. FIsK, G. M. DAVIS. 

